Edith's Checkerspot
Euphydryas editha (Boisduval, 1852)
Family: Nymphalidae
Subfamily: Nymphalinae
Identification: Variable. Front wing rounded at tip. Upperside is black with red and pale yellow or white bands. Submarginal band of small yellow or white spots; wide postmedian band is red. Underside of hindwing with alternating bands of yellow-orange and cream.
Wing Span: 1 1/4 - 2 inches (3.2 - 5.1 cm).
Life History: Males perch or patrol all day to find females. Eggs are laid in groups on underside of leaves or on flowers of the host plant. Caterpillars eat leaves and flowers; sometimes using different host plants before and after hibernation. Young caterpillars live in loose silk webs; third- and fourth-stage caterpillars hibernate.
Flight: One brood; from March-May at low elevations, June-August at high elevations and in the north.
Caterpillar Hosts: Various species of paintbrush (Castilleja), beardtongues (Penstemon), lousewort (Pedicularis), owl's clover (Orthocarpus), Chinese houses (Collinsia), and plantain (Plantago).
Adult Food: Flower nectar.
Habitat: From sea level to treeline through diverse habitats including coastal chaparral, meadows, fields, foothills, open woods, alpine fellfields.
Range: Southern British Columbia and Alberta south to Baja California, Nevada, Utah, and Colorado.
Conservation: Two subspecies, the Bay Checkerspot (Euphydryas editha bayensis) and the Quino Checkerspot (E. e. quino) are listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act of 1973.
NCGR: The bay checkerspot (subspecies bayensis) has The Nature Conservancy Global Rank of T1 - Critically imperiled because of extreme rarity (5 or fewer occurrences, or very few remaining individuals), or because of some factor of its biology making it especially vulnerable to extinction. (Critically endangered throughout its range). The other subspecies of Euphydryas editha have The Nature Conservancy Global Rank of G5 - Demonstrably secure globally, though it may be quite rare in parts of its range, especially at the periphery.
Management Needs: Protect remaining habitat from development and alteration. Refer to Fish & Wildlife Service recovery plans.
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Verified Sightings
Displaying 73 - 96 of 782 verified sightings
Observation date: Jun 15, 2020
Submitted by: elsa_forsberg
Region: Carbon County, Wyoming, United States
Verified by: J_Martineau
Verified date: Feb 01, 2021
Observation date: Jul 24, 2020
Submitted by: J_Martineau (Charlotte Martineau)
Region: Sheridan County, Wyoming, United States
Verified by: J_Martineau
Verified date: Jan 12, 2021
Observation date: Aug 09, 2020
Submitted by: flyinganvil
Region: King County, Washington, United States
Verified by: davidwdroppers
Verified date: Aug 16, 2020
Observation date: Jul 27, 2020
Submitted by: cklindsey
Region: Okanogan County, Washington, United States
Verified by: davidwdroppers
Verified date: Jul 31, 2020
Observation date: Jul 25, 2020
Submitted by: papilio1
Region: Washoe County, Nevada, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Jul 29, 2020
Observation date: Jun 27, 2020
Submitted by: dsperanza
Region: Montana, United States
Verified by: J_Martineau
Verified date: Jul 13, 2020
Observation date: Jun 09, 2020
Submitted by: icosahedron
Region: Mendocino County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Jun 14, 2020
Observation date: May 19, 2020
Submitted by: asabspade
Region: Mendocino County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: May 21, 2020
Observation date: May 18, 2020
Submitted by: DeerPark
Region: Thurston County, Washington, United States
Verified by: davidwdroppers
Verified date: May 20, 2020
Observation date: May 05, 2020
Submitted by: DeerPark
Region: Thurston County, Washington, United States
Verified by: davidwdroppers
Verified date: May 12, 2020
Observation date: Mar 12, 2020
Submitted by: Lisahug
Region: San Mateo County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Mar 13, 2020
Observation date: Feb 26, 2020
Submitted by: Robert Gorman
Region: Riverside County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Feb 28, 2020
Observation date: Jul 04, 2019
Submitted by: yahk
Region: San Bernardino County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Sep 21, 2019
Observation date: Aug 19, 2019
Submitted by: Pheasantboy77
Region: Montana, United States
Verified by: J_Martineau
Verified date: Aug 27, 2019
Observation date: Aug 07, 2019
Submitted by: hiker96
Region: Pierce County, Washington, United States
Verified by: davidwdroppers
Verified date: Aug 07, 2019
Observation date: Jul 29, 2019
Submitted by: hiker96
Region: Washington, United States
Verified by: davidwdroppers
Verified date: Jul 29, 2019
Observation date: Jun 15, 2019
Submitted by: donahilkey
Region: Rio Blanco County, Colorado, United States
Verified by: mikefisher
Verified date: Jul 25, 2019
Observation date: Jul 11, 2019
Submitted by: pdxgene711
Region: Hood River County, Oregon, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Jul 13, 2019
Observation date: Jun 21, 2019
Submitted by: Diane R Halpin
Region: Teton County, Wyoming, United States
Verified by: J_Martineau
Verified date: Jul 11, 2019
Observation date: May 24, 2019
Submitted by: lprdshrk
Region: Contra Costa County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: May 25, 2019
Observation date: May 07, 2019
Submitted by: icosahedron
Region: Sonoma County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: May 08, 2019
Observation date: May 04, 2019
Submitted by: Margie Hoff
Region: Madera County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: May 07, 2019
Observation date: Jun 27, 2004
Submitted by: hydapse
Region: Montana, United States
Verified by: J_Martineau
Verified date: Feb 05, 2019
Observation date: Jun 02, 2018
Submitted by: sgguthart
Region: Larimer County, Colorado, United States
Verified by: mikefisher
Verified date: Dec 31, 2018
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